The present invention relates to a new and useful improvement in board games. More specifically, the present invention relates to a baseball board game.
The game of baseball long has been a national pastime in the United States and, more recently, of many other nations as well. Individuals of all ages have a passion for baseball. While the real game of baseball is played outdoors and requires special equipment, the excitement of a baseball game can also be enjoyed by playing baseball board games.
Baseball board games are known. In an actual baseball game, certain events, or plays, occur more frequently than others. For example, a grand slam home run occurs less frequently than a foul ball. Baseball board games of the prior art most commonly involve the use of randomly spaced holes, in which a player attempts to direct a ball or marble, to obtain scores, or plays. Other games utilize random selection means, such as die, to determine the score or play obtained by each player. Additionally, many such games utilize a batting device which propels a ball or marble and does not require any skill or dexterity on the part of a player.
Rose U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,439 discloses a baseball game wherein a metal ball is dropped on an inclined surface and propelled out toward the playing board, which is also an inclined surface. The gameboard has several holes and channels which are assigned various values, however, Rose does not disclose arrangement of the holes in such a way as to simulate a regulation baseball game.
Siberts U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,837 also discloses a baseball game comprising a batting device which allows a ball to be propelled over the game board. The board is covered with various recesses, some of which have upstanding walls around them, to facilitate trapping the ball. The ball is rolled down a covered chute, located in the infield of the playing board, toward the batting device. Although the Siberts game involves the use of holes or recesses in which a ball or other object can become trapped and which are assigned various events or types of plays, it does not involve the use of holes which are designed to represent the occurrence and frequency of various plays and events in a baseball game.
Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 2,237,351 discloses a baseball game comprising a rotatable batting mechanism from which a ball is hit with a bat, a game board which has vertical ball catching elements located at the base positions and holes along the outer edges of the board which indicate the value to be given a batted ball which rolls into a particular hole. The ball of Johnson is struck by a batting device, not rolled to a player and batted back. Moreover, the holes are disposed along the outside edge of the board and not positioned to simulate the occurrence and frequency of various plays and events in a baseball game.
Pulcifer U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,317 also discloses a baseball game. In the Pulcifer apparatus, die are used to determine the character of a pitch, and cue sticks are used to move a disc around the game board which has several depressions to indicate first, second and third bases. There is no ball used with the Pulcifer device, thus there are no ball-catching holes positioned to simulate the occurrence and frequency of various plays and events in a baseball game.
Whitehall U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,083 also employs the use of various apertures denoting values. As the board of the Whitehall game is adaptable to various games, including baseball, football, tennis and golf, the apertures are not positioned to simulate the occurrence and frequency of various plays and events in a baseball game. Moreover, the board, when used, is positioned at an incline so that batted or hit balls will roll backward toward an aperture of a defined value. Thus, the skill required by the Whitehall device to bat or roll a ball into a desirable aperture is unusual.
The baseball board game of the present invention simulates the play and excitement of a real baseball game. In contrast to those games with mechanical batting devices or devices which use die to advance runners, the instant invention contains real game elements. A ball or marble is pitched by one player and hit by another player with a bat. The uncertain course of a batted ball creates anticipation and excitement, and results are similar to those which can be achieved in a real baseball game. The game also incorporates many of the technical rules of the game of baseball and can be enjoyed by those familiar with the rules of baseball and also can provide a means of teaching those rules to individuals less familiar with the rules of baseball.